Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Infiniti FX is a familiar face. The current version has
been out for exactly 5 years.

The front end was redesigned for 2012.

The design has aged pretty well in my opinion. It still
looks upscale yet sporty.

Everything feels solid and very well put together inside.
But it has aged quite a bit more than the exterior. Even though all materials
are 1st rate, it just lacks something. It feels “old Infiniti”.
Nothing as modern as the all-new Q50.

It just doesn’t really seem like a $54 000 car in there. It
has become a bit boring…

The seats are very comfortable. It is roomy enough in the
back as well.

And the annoying “High speed warning 25 miles from your
location” warning welcomes you every time you start the car. No matter where I
was, there were some high winds exactly 25 miles away… (That feature was turned
off quickly…)

The drive is a mixed bag. The engine is the smooth and
powerful 325HP Nissan V6.

But in this case, it sounds very much like in the Nissan Z.
Which is great in a Z, but feels out of place in a $54 000 Luxury SUV.

You just
always hear it. And after a while, it does become annoying. Because you know,
you’re not driving a sports car.

The 7-speed transmission is pretty smooth, but slow to react
most of the time. Which doesn’t match at all the sporty sounds of the engine.

The steering would be fine. A bit twitchy, like most
Infiniti models. But the super hard 21 tires ruin everything. It becomes really
hard to control the car most of the time, except when the road is perfectly
flat. The whole thing feels pretty unrefined. More like an old fashion muscle
car than an expensive SUV. It just becomes quite a handful to drive....

The tires are also noisy. And contribute to a very harsh
ride. A hard ride on an SUV doesn’t make things feel sporty at all. I’m not
sure what they are going for here…

The FX37 is rated at 16/22MPG. It was impossible to get over
15 in the city.

Although I did get 25 on the freeway. Thanks to the new 7-speed
auto.

The FX37 is a bit of an odd car. Infiniti is pushing the
sporty side of things a bit too much.

It is very powerful but the transmission isn’t sporty at
all. Yet the “Z like ride” is really out of place in a car like this.

I am sure the
standard model with smaller wheels is a much better choice.

Which reminds me of reviews complaining of the same thing
(Ride too rough with the larger tires) when the 1st generation was
out. So they don’t seem to listen, or be able to improve things.

I think my $54 000 AWD “Special Edition” was just too
expensive. Priced too close to the more prestigious European competition.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Fisker has become the new Saab. Will it die? Will someone save it at the last minute?
Chinese companies involved, etc....
Same thing we were talking about with Saab a few years ago.

Now we hear that Chinese company Wanxiang is teaming up with Bob Lutz's VL Automotive in order to make a bid for Fisker.
Wnaxiang apparently now owns A123 Battery Systems which used to provide batteries for Fisker.
And Lutz's new company already offers a version of the Fisker Karma fitted with a GM V8 engine.
So that would seem like a good match to save the company. (They "just" need to repay the federal loan before they can do anything...)

In my opinion, anything that can be done to keep these gorgeous cars on the road is a great idea. So there...

The all new electric version of the Spark has just been officially priced at $27 500. Before the $7500 federal tax credit. There is also an additional credit in California which brings the price to $17 500. Quite amazing...
I drove the Spark a few months ago and really liked it. The EV has more power and should feel even better to drive.
GM also claims you can charge it to 80% of capacity in about 20 minutes! Full capacity being about 82 miles, that means you could get about 65 miles on a 20 minute charge.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Also named Quoris in some markets...
But this one says "K9" on it, so I guess thi s is a Korean model. Caught in Hollywood on the 101 freeway.
Not sure if Kia is ready to sell the big RWD sedan over here, but this is the 2nd one I see around. I saw a silver one pull into a restaurant parking lot a few months ago.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

It's time for the 5 series useless and almost invisible changes. At least it doesn't ruin anything.
Especially on the hatchback GT version where the new tail lights look a lot better.
Otherwise, it's mostly more chrome here and there. I guess this will appeal better to the Chinese market...

A new model for the US is the 535D. The 3.0 Liter diesel produces 255HP and 413 lb-ft of torque. Which should be quite fun to drive.

Friday, May 17, 2013

But the next sedan Audi will redesign is the A4. So I am not really sure what this is supposed to be.
My guess would be the next A4.
Although as we know, they will pretty much have the same lines in different sizes, as usual...

Here it is. Real and better pictures of the all new big Mercedes sedan.
Which is pretty bland and to me, doesn't look more modern than the current one. Which I always liked.

Remember when the S-Class would stand out because it looks so modern and different?
Like the 1st one actually called the S Class. That came out in 1972.
You can still see many of them around. And many were used as "rich bad guys" cars in 70's TV shows.
That car looked so modern and different than what came before it.

It took them a while, but GM will finally have some competition for the Ford transit Connect.
Even if it isn't a Chevy at all, but a Mexican built Nissan NV200 with a Chevrolet front end.
The whole thing is not nearly as attractive or cure as the Ford.

A bit sad that GM cannot find its own thing to compete. As even the little Opel Combo in Europe is actually a Fiat with an Opel grille.

Monday, May 13, 2013

After claiming it would never happen, Audi is saying they would like to bring the compact Q3 to the US.
I guess they were just waiting to see how the BMW X1 was doing before committing...

The Q3 is based on the same platform as the VW Tiguan. In Europe is is offered with the regular 2.0 Liter Turbo or the TDI 2.0 engine.
7 speed S-tronic would be the only transmission offered in the US, of course.

Why not. If BMW can sell the X1 here, why not this.
It just looks like any other Audi model out there. And for some reason, it seems to be what people want...

Saturday, May 11, 2013

This time, from the official brochure. Looking really luxurious. Now that they don't have Maybach anymore, I guess they went all out.
An even more luxurious, and longer, version will follow next year. Maybe badged the 600. Just like in the old days...